Tupac Biopic Adds Suge Knight, Jada Pinkett Smith to Cast

In July 2010, it was revealed that 'Training Day' director Antoine Fuqua was in the process of bringing Tupac Shakur's life to the big screen in a biopic. Though the film was originally supposed to begin shooting in September, the flick is now slated to begin lensing in April in Los Angeles, with expected characters to include former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur and childhood friend Jada Pinkett Smith.

The films synopsis will focus on the iconic rapper's upbringing. The flick will follow his teen years at the Baltimore School of the Arts, which he left to embrace the thug life in California and partake in the East Coast versus West Coast rivalry. Audiences will see Tupac, who will be shown from the ages of 17 to 25, develop his love of poetry and become one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Suge Knight's character will be in his early 30s, conveyed as a "fearsome figure, and at other times a paternal, calming presence." The film will explore his relationship with Tupac and how he signed him to his label by signing a contract on a napkin. Jada Pinkett, who attended school with Tupac in Baltimore, will also be an integral character, with the movie showing how she visited him in prison and apologized for his lewd actions.

Though no casting announcements have been made, Fuqua previously stated that he was looking for new talent. "That's the goal, I want to discover someone new," he said. "I want to discover a lot of new people, if I can. Obviously I'm going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world."